What About Day 31?

(thanks for the pic)

I've been thinking, already, about what food I am going to use to break my fast on Day 31. 

     In the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Joe breaks his fast with a fresh green apple.  Up in a hot air balloon.  It made a point, and to him it symbolized a commitment to continue to eat healthy and not go back to his unhealthy eating habits.  But he was also trying to make a film.
    For me, and the 5 people who read this, it's not going to be a huge deal if I crunch into an apple in a hot air balloon, or bite into a veggie burger in my own dining room, but one thing's for sure, I am not going to be headed for the pizza first thing.  "But why, Stephanie? You love pizza more than any other food on this planet," you may ask.

     Well let me tell you a story:
 Once apon a time in Bloomington my group of best friends (who are, decidedly, hippies and proud of it) all went on this cleansing diet.  Essentially in the same way I am doing now, eating very restricted healthy meals.  Only this one was a little less severe: no sugar, no alcohol, no wheat, no dairy. So I did it with them  This diet introduced me to vegan cheese and wheatless bread.  It also reduced my lactase enzyme and made me lactose intolerant (though I usually ignore it).  The end of this particular 15 days was actually my 20th birthday, a day in which I asked for my dad to bring me a homemade birthday favorite of mine (simple yellow cake with chocolate fudge icing) and ordered my all-time favorite Bloomington pizza Mother Bear's Spinoccoli at dinner.  And made myself absolutely ill.  Stomach cramps and bloating and whatnot.

Okay, so there weren't many plot twists in that story.  But my point is clear.  No matter how much you may want the bad food when you're eating the good food, it's not great for you, and your body will tell you as much.  I'm not saying: Never ever have the treat of your favorite meal ever again.  I'm just saying to wait a bit.  Ease into it.  Or your stomach will hate you.

I do think that I will most likely eat something cooked.  Everytime I open the pantry to grab a plastic bag for the stuff left over after the juice is made, I am spying a can of Campbell's Garden Vegetable Soup.  When I went to babysit the other day, my boss had made a heaping pot of cabbage soup. 

If day 31 was tomorrow, veggie soup it would be.